Photo by Dayne Francis | Signal Archives
During the seniors final home game at the GSU Sports Arena, the men’s basketball team gained a victory over conference member Appalachian State and maintained their conference tournament spot. Honoring seniors T.J. Shipes, Markus Crider, Kevin Ware and Jalen Brown, Shipes and Crider obtained their 80th win as Panthers.
Georgia State began the season defending the Sports Arena. The team went undefeated at home until falling to UL Lafayette on Jan. 16 with a score of 54-87. This marked the team’s largest defeat since Ron Hunter became head coach in 2011 as well as broke the home 8-0 winning streak of the 2015-16 season.
Coming out from this loss the team was determined to beat conference rivals Georgia Southern in the next game. With the bleachers packed with Panther fans, the energy inside the Sports Arena was unlike any other game. The two teams battled closely throughout the entire game.
Redshirt junior Jeremy Hollowell contributed to the success by gaining key offensive rebounds near the end of the second half. After being fouled by Georgia Southern sophomore Coye Simmons, Hollowell made two free throws which tied the match at 55-55 and sent the game into overtime.
With 0.14 seconds left in overtime, Hollowell completed two more free throws which resulted in a 69-66 Georgia State lead. After Georgia southern freshman Tookie Brown missed a three pointer in hopes to win the game, Ware got the defensive rebound. This sealed the victory for the Panthers.
Georgia State won 69-66 in overtime. Shipes and Crider had 14 points each which helped contribute to the Panther victory. This win left the Panthers with a 12-4 season record and a 5-2 standing in the Sunbelt.
Georgia State went on the road to play conference members Appalachian State, Arkansas State and Little Rock, respectively. The team fell to all three teams, therefore placing them at a 5-5 record in the Sun Belt.
The Panthers defeated Texas State after returning to the Sports Arena, but continued to struggle in the conference. Experiencing a four-game losing streak, Georgia State came close to defeating South Alabama in overtime. Redshirt senior Kevin Ware made one of two free throws from the line, tying the game up. Despite Hollowell’s 22 point performance, the Panthers loss 79-78.
The Panthers fell to Little Rock when returning home leaving their series record at 0-2 for the 2015-16 season, but triumphed against Arkansas State creating a 1-1 standing. Hollowell had a total of 18 points and Williams slightly trailed with 17. Creating a combination of 35 points in the Panthers 69-61 victory over Arkansas State. As both teams had a 7-9 record in the conference, they were both in the running to secure one of the top eight spots for the conference tournament.
The final home game was the Panthers only hope of staying alive for the tournament. Defeating Appalachian State 83-70, Georgia State protected their spot as they ranked No.6 in the Sun Belt. One behind Georgia Southern at No. 5, while having Little Rock at No. 1.
“That was my first recruiting class with Markus, T.J. and R.J., and we asked those guys to take a leap of faith. Tonight was the 80th time those guys won, and that is a special number. To win 80 games in four years is a tremendous honor,” Coach Hunter said according to Georgia State Communications.
The Panthers finished off the regular season with a win against UL Lafayette in the two teams second matchup of the season, but suffered a loss in the season finale against No. 2 UL Monroe, 91-78.
Georgia State’s first Sun Belt Tournament game resulted in a loss against No. 7 Texas State.
Keeping hope alive
Graduating players reflected on what is was like to play in their final home game.
“Completed, in one word,” Crider said. “I can say completed because one, it’s been a long four years. We’ve won 80 games in this class, and me and T.J. are the last two to see that happen. I am completed.”
With this 80th win under their belt, the Panthers are fully aware of what they need to improve on to finish out the season strong as well as perform well in the tournament. The team has successfully picked up their transition offense as they showcased against Appalachian State.
Along with keeping the defense strategies up and scoring the ball, the Panthers are mentally preparing for finishing off the season strong. Senior forward Jalen Brown who knocked down a three pointer during the game against the Mountaineers expanded on this mindset.
“We’re fighters,” Brown said. “We’re never going to give up until we can’t fight anymore. That showed last year with Baylor; it’s the program. That’s how we think here. We fight no matter what. We play hard every game. We’re going to fight; that’s all we can do.”
Freshman players plan to step up
Leaving behind a winning legacy, the seniors plan to pass down their fighting mentality to the freshmen players. Seeing time off of the bench freshman Malik Benlevi and Austin Donaldson recognize ways the team can prosper in the future.
“More so playing with confidence,” Donaldson said. “Playing with each other and making sure we build bonds on and off the court. On defense just communicating. We’ll get better over time with that.”
The senior players have assisted in helping the freshmen face adversity as well as push through the season. With their guidance, the freshmen hold certain lessons that they’ve been taught and plan to bring them into the future seasons at Georgia State.
“Markus taught me to just go out and play ball,” Benlevi said. “Just to go out and give it everything. Kevin has been like a big brother to me, and T.J. stayed on me hard and pushed me to just keep giving it my all.”
Saluting the four seniors, Benlevi and Donaldson strive to make them proud during their next three years as Panthers.
2015-16 Regular Season notes:
- Markus Crider has played in a school record 128 games
- The Panthers are now in the Sun Belt Conference Tournament for the third consecutive year.
- Crider and T.J. Shipes are six wins away from tying the school record for wins by a player with 87, which was set last season by Ryann Green.
- Head coach Ron Hunter is four wins away from tying the school record Bob Reinhart set at 107.
